Wood 'n' things. Future Events. The Chairs Cheerful Chat!

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1 Mid Staffs Woodturning Association Newsletter Issue April 2012 Editor: Philip Watts Future Events MSWA Meetings May 4 th Paul Bellamy Our own June 1 st Richard Findley A second time for Richard back by popular request July A return visit from Graham Lovatt Other Events Club Competitions May Challenge A Musical Box June Novice Jewellery pendant necklace July Challenge Sugar Bowl and Scoop The Chairs Cheerful Chat! Gosh! Is it really April already? It only seems like yesterday that I was telling you all that this is my favourite month of the year. No doubt because it is my birthday in April which always brings back fond memories. The clocks have also gone back to normality, giving us that precious extra hour of daylight in the evenings that is always most welcome. You may wonder what a woman like me receives in the way of birthday presents? For most women it is probably a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a nice meal out or even a welldeserved pampering at the hairdressers. To me that would be a total waste of money. Instead, I was extremely pleased to receive some new chain saw gloves, two new Crown wood turning gouges and a MC760 Microclene dust filter for the workshop. I can think of few other women who may appreciate similar gifts. We are certainly few and far between! It always amuses me at club meetings when other members are bemoaning their wives comments such as not more tools or not more wood. It must be quite strange for my other half to have someone who drags him into DIY and Tool shops instead of away from them. By the way! If anyone is interested, my next wish list includes a pillar drill, some chuck jaws, some sanding sealer and a pot of cellulose thinners! I must now talk about the Microclene dust filter that have happily acquired. Simply put, it is fantastic. How I have managed without one for so long I do not know. Even though I have normal dust extraction units next to the lathe, my workshop has always had a permanent layer of fine wood dust on every surface for as long as I can remember. Every time I sweep up or hoover, this fine dust goes up in the air and just gets moved from one place to another. As a result, I invested in a Trend face shield to help prevent this ending up in my lungs. However, there are too many times when you take this off and yet the damaging fine particles are still floating around and only visible in bright sunlight. It is this extra fine dust that can be the most harmful. However, since my new toy arrived at the start of April I have seen a huge improvement. Not only has the permanent dust layer slowly depleted, but my asthma has also improved. I have been asthmatic since a child, so have learnt to live with it. As long as I take my inhalers regularly, then I do not really notice it any more. However, miss my medication just one night and I soon start wheezing and get short of breath. However, since the new micro filter has arrived, I have noticed a huge improvement and have been able to reduce the medication. It is probably no surprise then that I would like to recommend these dust filters to other club members. The MC760 unit that I have been given is surprisingly powerful for its small size. The other bonus is that it can be free-standing or wall mounted. This

2 makes it nice and portable, which is ideal for when you are sanding woodwork or doing other dusty jobs in other parts of the house. There are also some optional extras available to convert it into a spray booth etc. If you would like further details, then do have a look online at the various websites where they are available. Just search Microclene Dust Filters and you will soon find them. Another alternative is to make your own dust filter. Phil Watts described how he made one using an old fan heater in the January Newsletter. I am sure that there are others in the club with ideas on how to tackle this problem. Now I must dash as I am just in the middle of trying to get a music box made in time for the next meeting. So far I am on my fourth piece of timber and everything is not going quite to plan. Hopefully I will manage to produce something to enter the competition, even if it is just the three buckets of shavings that I have so far produced! I think I may have to abandon my original design ideas and resort to plan B. Either that or lots of super-glue and copious amounts of wood filler! Wish me luck! See you all on the 4 th of May! Dawn Editor's Scribblings There is an old story about an absent minded senior academic sending a telegram back to his home that read Am at Crewe. Where should I be? Unfortunately, this could have applied to the scheduled demonstrator for the April meeting who went to another club and wondered why there was no welcoming party. Back at the Village Hall, the first decision made in his absence was to put the kettle on, always the first British response to a crisis and then decide what to do next. The video equipment was pulled out and the selection made of the DVD by Stuart Mortimer on Turning Green Wood. A masterful demonstration by a skilled turner, but not necessarily one to be followed by a novice turner. A problem solved for the meeting but another problem for your Editor as there is no demonstration report for this month. I do not intend to report in detail on the DVD. If you wish to see it, seek out John Smith at the next meeting and hire it from the Club Library. In between times, the discussion turned to different techniques with specific reference to the sharpening of wood turning tools and chisels. A timely article submitted by Paul Bellamy forms part of this Newsletter and is supplemented by one from me inspired by attendance at a demonstration by Reg Slack at the West Midlands Wood Turners. I hope that you find them useful, and possibly prompt you to feed in your experience of the same issues. Only eight pages in this issue. Apologies for this, but the solution in in your hands. If you have a favourite bee in your bonnet, or disagree profoundly with an article or view expressed in this Newsletter then write a response and send it to me for inclusion in a later Newsletter. Philip Watts

3 Grinding Equipment by Paul Bellamy Wood 'n' things Although it is sometime since Dawn made her original comments, the subject of tool grinding is still a subject of interest, and sometimes mystery, to many wood turners, be they experienced or novice hence the inclusion of this article by Paul. I read Dawn s comments in the May 2011 newsletter, about the Pro Edge sharpening system, with some concern, primarily over the prices she quoted for various items for tool grinding. I thought I should put fingers to keyboard and offer a response. To me, the Pro-grind sharpening system seems much more logical than using a grinding wheel and I would love to own one. Having already invested in another system though, there are other items at the top of my current shopping list, so this will have to wait. However, if I was starting from scratch, then this is the system that I would probably opt for. It does sounds pricy at 300 for the complete system, but then I worked out how much my existing unit has cost me to buy over the last few years. Bench Grinder 40, Grinding wheels X2 at 40 each, Wolverine Sharpening Jig 80, Skew Sharpening attachment 25 and a Wheel dresser 20. So that s 265 for a cheap and cheerful system that is not as accurate nor as easy to use. Hmmmm! If only I had seen this first! However, to start with, here is a bit of background to my own grinding systems. I use bench grinders for my turning tools but I have access to a horizontal grinder and conventional oil-stones. Those are used for my carpentry chisels and plane irons, although I have sharpened one of my skew chisels on them as well. For my wood-turning, I have tried several home made and trade jigs and use a combination on my grinders. My favourite for overall use is the Trugrind system, current cost around 95, which will do spindle and bowl gouges, scrapers and skew chisels. The only extra was a mounting rod for grinding separate scraper cutters. I also still use a Robert Sorby grinding table on one of the wheels for spindle roughing gouges. That table also allowed me to use a Robert Sorby fingernail profiler but more on that later. My bench grinders are a 6 Record unit with 25mm and 40mm wide wheels and a Creusen slow speed 6 unit with two 40mm wide wheels. The Record grinder cost me 35 at one of Record s promotions. A replacement 40mm wide wheel bought earlier this year cost me 16 and the 25mm wide white wheels I buy for 9.99, including postage. I dread to think who charged 40 for Dawn s replacement wheels. And my diamond T-bar dresser cost me 10 from my wheel supplier.

4 Ruby wheels for the Creusen I got for 18 each in April of this year but these also last a very long time. In comparison, several members of another club, who have purchased Pro Edge systems, have told me the belts are only good for a few grinds, so at 2.60 each, and that s the cheapest belt, the grinding wheel looks much better value. One thing that did amuse me about Clive Brooke s promotion of the Pro Edge was his emphasis of the set of jigs for holding various tools at the correct angles. Clive gave the impression that this was one of the advantages of the Pro Edge, yet these identical jigs are sold as part of their bench grinder systems. They re nothing new, Sorby have been selling these for years. When I started serious wood-turning, I tried hand sharpening my tools but soon accepted Jimmy Clewes perfect statement I would rather be wood-turning than tool-grinding so I bought a jig. The first one was the Robert Sorby system, with fingernail profiler. This worked fairly well but as it relies on how far the tool projects in front of the jig, it is difficult to get very short bevels on bowl gouges, and you can t sharpen short (well used) tools with a long bevel, as there isn t enough overhang. Finally, although the fingernail jig knuckle can be adjusted, Robert Sorby don t give any information on how this affects the grind. If you recall, Clive Brooke said he considered having that adjustment was a mistake and the knuckle should be fixed. The problem is that it is this angle which controls how swept back are the wings of your tool. I use a range of angles on my bowl gouges to give anything from a conventional grind to heavily swept back grinds ideal for shear scraping. Another problem with the Sorby fingernail jig is that it relies on a mounting block sliding on a shaft. Unfortunately this shaft gets covered in grinding grit, causing it to jam, and thereby spoiling a steady sweep of the tool over the grinding wheel. Another jig I have tried is OneWay s Wolverine system. This uses the length of the tool to set the bevel angle, so is the only system that can grind a tool right down to the ferrule but only if you don t want a fingernail profile, otherwise it uses a similar toolholder to the Trugrind system. So can be added to first response to Dawn's article promoting Pro Edge. It IS very expensive. Query Dawn paying 40 per grinding wheel. I pay 9.99 for 1" white stone, includes delivery! The replacement wide stone for my Record grinder was only The grinder cost me at one of their spring promotions. It is currently available for??? ProEdge grinding jigs, table and guides ARE all available for bench grinders. The Pro Edge cannot do different 'long grinds'. That was why I asked the question at the meeting, when Clive's response was the stem should be 'welded at 120deg'. The belts are expensive. They wear out quite quickly. They are not suitable for reshaping, i.e. serious grinding. The ProEdge IS good if you want a FLAT bevel, but that's all. Would you spend more than some people have spent on their lathe, on a sharpening system? I. Cost 2. Cost of belts 3. Not do Celtic grind locked at 120deg 4. All the jigs are available for bench grinders. 5. Who pays 40 for.grinding wheels? 6. Cannot grind short tools 7. Grit in sliding boss a problem. 8. Limited to 120deg long grind bevel. 9. Relies on tool overhang to set bevel angle, so long bevel not available on short tools 10. Jig gets in the way if you want a very short bevel.

5 The ProEdge is a well made machine but it IS expensive, especially when you add in belt costs and that you are limited in the form of grinds you can achieve. Its one unique selling point, the flat grind may appeal to some but just consider that numerous wood-turners have produced outstanding work for centuries, with hollow ground tools. Yes, a flat bevel skew chisel may be easier to use, but most of us cope with hollow grinds. In summary, I would suggest a bench grinder system, with jig would cost around 150 with around 20 annual wheel costs. That is way under the cost of the basic ProEdge, before you buy any extra jigs or replacement belts. I appreciate this is my personal opinion but it is based on actual experience. If you would like to discuss any of this with me, I am more than happy to do so, at club meetings, by or even telephone. In summary, I do consider the Pro Edge to be a very expensive piece of kit whose only advantage over bench grinders is its flat grind. That is nice, but not necessary, on skew chisels. I had thought this machine would appeal to woodcarvers who need a much finer edge until I realised that many carving tools cannot be ground on a flat surface. The belts are OK for sharpening, NOT grinding. If you want to reshape your tool, you will do it much cheaper and quicker on a bench grinder. And how do you like your bevels? Reg Slack was a recent visitor to the West Midlands Wood Turners. He emphasises that he is a teacher and not a demonstrator, so no fancy goblets. His particular gift is reducing everything to its basic elements. Whilst another demonstrator, a senior member of the AWGB, appeared with a rack of tools numbered in the tens, Reg claims to use only six tools in all his work. These are; a roughing gouge, spindle gouge, bowl gouge, skew chisel, parting tool, and one scraper. All are standard tools except for the roughing gouge which is one devised by Reg Sherwin and available from one of the major suppliers. He reduces sharpening to a technique that relies on only one accessory to a standard six-inch diameter grinding wheel. This is a semi-circular piece of mdf stuck to the side of the grinding wheel cover. There are two pencil lines on this item. Sharpening of the roughing gouge, spindle gouge, bowl gouge and scraper is achieved by lining the tip of the tool with one of the marks on the mdf with the tool supported by the tool rest. The line has previously been drawn in a position that ensures that the correct bevel angle is being ground. The second line is used in the same way for the parting tool and skew chisel. Note that there are only two grinding angles being used. Reg uses a simple screw chuck for work not held between centres. Again, no special thread form but merely a two-inch 14 gauge wood screw. (anybody who knows of a local source of these should contact the Editor) At one point in his lecture, Reg commented that it was all right to read one wood-turning book but that anybody reading more than one would inevitably become confused. You Editor has commented before on the extent of his library and, in consequence, the number of books and articles that he has read. No wonder that he is confused on so many issues. Paul Bellamy and and I have written before in this Newsletter on the subject of the correct angle at which various tools and chisels should be ground. Here now is a debate on the relative merits of concave or flat ground bevels. The Reg Slack view is that there are benefits in using a simple standard bench grinder in that the resultant bevel is concave in shape. Since the majority of work done by non-professional turners is of a lesser diameter than six inches, the tool will touch the work at the cutting edge and the heel giving maximum support and guidance.

6 Enter Michael O'Donnell writing in the September 2009 issue of Woodturning. Using a shallow fluted gouge, he faced off a 4-inch diameter piece of pine held in a chuck. The result looked like the ripples on a pond. He attributed this after a careful examination to the length of the grind on his gouge and the fact that it had been ground on a 150mm (6 inch) diameter wheel resulting in a concave bevel. He experimented by regrinding the tool on a belt sharpening system, thus producing a flat bevel of the same length. The result was a perfect cut without a ripple effect. He moved on to examine the effect of the length of the bevel and concluded that for some cuts, such as a cove, the heel of the tool fouled the edge of the cove as the cut progressed. Grinding a secondary bevel at the the heel of the tool produced a shorter bevel permitted a much better shape control while cutting various different coves. So what does this confused turner do to grind his chisels and tools. My outfit is cheaper than Paul's. I have a six-inch bench grinder from B and Q, cost about from memory, one wheel has been changed to a white wheel costing about 10 from Craft Supplies. This grinder is teamed with a Trugrind jig from Phil Irons costing about 80. I sharpen my tools on this and gain the benefit of a consistent bevel angle that allows me to just touch up a tool rather than have to regrind the complete bevel, which was the tendency when I ground only by hand and eye. (My spindle gouge is noticeably shorter than all my other tools because of this.) I sharpen my skew chisels on my bench sander. I am not sure what this does to the belt but it does produce a flat even bevel which I found it difficult to do on the narrow wheel of my bench grinder. I also use a diamond slip to touch up both the skew chisels and scrapers. March Competitions The brief for the March Challenge Competition was for a paperweight. There were initially three entries on the table but the absence of the demonstrator caused one entrant to leave early and take his entry home with him. This was a shame because, whilst simple in form, it had a good finish on an attractive piece of wood. The two other entries were judged by the meeting to be equal in merit. Brian Smith was responsible for the discus shaped weight in an unknown garden tree wood and Jane Russell for the piece in Zebrano.

7 Merchandise Club information Your club committee for 2012 is:- Chairman - Dawn Hopley Tel Mob chairman@mswa.co.uk Secretary - Will Rose Tel secretary@mswa.co.uk Treasurer Vance Lupton treasurer@mswa.co.uk Tel Assistant treasurer Roy Fallows Tel Events secretary - Geoff Payne Tel Mob events@mswa.co.uk Abrasives - Terry Gray Tel tgray268@gmail.com Newsletter editor Philip Watts editor@mswa.co.uk Webmanager Philip Watts webman@mswa.co.uk Member's representatives John Smith Tel Mob Jane Russell Terry Gray Albert Heath Health and Safety Advisor Hugh Field Please only use phone numbers if absolutely necessary. Clothing The club has a selection of items for sale, all featuring the club name on a blue background. Sweatshirts (dark blue) T-shirts (light blue) 7.00 Baseball caps 6.00 The sweatshirts are ideal for the workshop at this time of year; nice and warm, but they are also smart enough to wear down the high street, to woodturning shows, and to AWGB seminars. See John Smith at the club meetings if you would like to purchase any item of club clothing. Abrasives If you need that finishing touch, Terry Gray has packs of Abranet, recommended by demonstrators and other club members, at 2.20 for a set of 7 sheets grit. Books and DVDsThe club has the following DVDs for hire. AWGB Instant Gallery to 2003 Sharpening - GMC Turning Projects with Richard Raffan Turning Wood with Alan Holtham Table Lamp Colouring Wood Jan Sanders The Skew Chisel Alan Batty Bowls for Beginners Ray Jones Course on Spindle Turning Ray Jones Making and Decorating Platters Mick Hanbury Making and Decorating Boxes - Mick Hanbury Turn it On Volume 1 Jimmy Clewes Turn it On Volume 2 Jimmy Clewes Turn it On Volume 3 Jimmy Clewes All Glued Up! Open Segment Turning Sue Harker Turned Out Nice Again! Involuted Turning Sue Harker Wood Turning with Steve Heeley Steve Heeley Wet turning with a difference Stuart Mortimer See John Smith at any club meeting if you want to borrow one of these.

8 Turning tips This section is for any tips or advice you would like to pass on to other members. It doesn't matter what it is, if you discovered something you found useful, that you think may benefit others, please pass it on. Useful websites and suppliers There is a lot of information available on the internet but some is better than others. If you come across any useful sites, please let me know and I will publish them here. Timber Supplier - Capricorn Eco Timber Unit D Ladfordfields Industrial Estate Seighford Stafford St18 9QE Carnauba wax polishes Paul Bellamy Following the favourable reaction to the polishing kits Paul started earlier this year, he has established a supply of carnauba wax flakes. These can be used to make your own sticks or mixed with other components to make a range of polishes. He is selling these in 250g bags but could do larger quantities if you need it. He also has some ready-made wax blocks, comprising 60% beeswax/ 40% carnauba. These are softer than most wood-turning sticks but he prefers this as it doesn t score your work. He also has more of his Buffing kits, similar to Chestnut s system. For more details, see him at the club meetings. T Website Questions and answers This section is an opportunity for members to ask questions for other members to answer, primarily about wood-turning but I see no reason why this couldn't be extended further. There is a lot of knowledge in the club on many subjects and this should be an easy way to get answers. Items for sale or wanted If you have any items for sale, or if you are trying to find something, send me the details and I will put it in the next issue. For Sale Custom toolrests David Fields David s grandson is able to make tool-rests, similar to the Robert Sorby system, out of round steel bar. These can be tailored to suit your requirements i.e. tool-post stem and length of the actual tool-rest. At the moment he is only doing straight tool-rests but bowl rests may be feasible in the future. And if you have a Record lathe and do small spindles, he has developed a cranked tool-post, allowing the tool-rest to get close to the work, without the banjo dropping off the front bed bar. If you would like to see one, or want to discuss your requirements, please have a chat with David at the club meetings.